ETHICS AFTER EASTER - Axioms 9 & 10

9. All people, whether they are Christian or not, can receive moral knowledge through the "general revelation" of the Book of Nature. This is not to say that all people will do so, or that they will choose to act on such knowledge. (Chapter 3)

10. Anglicans distinguish between moral knowledge, which is revealed to everyone through the Book of Nature, and saving knowledge, which is mediated through the "special revelation" of the Book of Scripture. Saving knowledge shapes life after baptism in such a way as to leave both continuity and discontinuity between the moral knowledge possessed by Christians and that of other people and traditions. (Chapter 4)

What separates us from other faith traditions? Holmgren points out that our initiation through the rite of baptism brings us into a specific understanding of living a life that stands in the light of God's creation and its distinction from living a life that is grounded in the pathway marked by Holy Scripture. He also acknowledges that the latter can be understood in a myriad of ways, depending on our understanding of how we interact with and live out holiness as modeled in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures.

At Bexley Hall Seminary in Rochester, NY, I had the opportunity to take a course in world religious traditions, and as part of our experience, we were invited to visit religious houses of worship as well as dialogue with other tradition leaders in our classroom. In ever case, from our visit to the Islamic Center to the Hindu Temple to our discussion with a Wiccan priestess, I was struck by the commonalities in tradition, shared beliefs that transcend our individual faiths. In all, there was sanctity of life, sensitivity to those who were oppressed, a desire to reach out to the poor and disenfranchised, and a keen appreciation of the works of the Creator. Perhaps these are the core of moral knowledge.

Beyond that, there is our own understanding of the New Covenant, as taught by Jesus Christ. Here we are called to a life of love, not just sympathy but empathy, not just of understanding the needs of others but also personally feeling what others are feeling. We are to love one another unconditionally, even to the point of self-sacrifice, emptying of ourselves of self-ness and adopting the example of Christ.

Holmgren outlines our ethical response in understanding first that all things are enabled in creation by God, our actions are mediated by the indwelling of Christ in our lives through our baptism, and the inspiration and motivation to live those ethical principles because of the breath of the Holy Spirit.

We are asked to consider what moral teachings from the Book of Nature and the Book of Scripture are most meaningful to us. We should also ask ourselves, "What aspects of moral teaching espoused by church and tradition have been the most damaging to our ability to interact with other faith traditions or even within our own faith of Christianity?"